Hughes set for court appearance (From Salisbury Journal)

Hughes set for court appearance

6:31am Monday 8th June 2009

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A British filmmaker being held in prison off the coast of West Africa is expected to appear in court, his brother said.

Graham Hughes contacted his relatives in Liverpool on Saturday to inform them that he had been arrested and imprisoned on Santiago, the largest of the Cape Verde islands.

The video director had gone to the island as part of a marathon challenge to travel to the 192 UN member states by public transport within a year.

It is thought that the 30-year-old was arrested on suspicion of entering the country illegally after arriving by boat from Dakar in Senegal.

Mr Hughes' older brother Alex said Graham had managed to make contact on Saturday after four days in prison.

Speaking on Sunday, Alex Hughes said: "He managed to get through to us. It was a very bad line and he basically said he'd been arrested and he was in a cell with 10 other guys.

"We've since found out that he's in the Eugenio Lima prison and he's due in court tomorrow.

"We still don't know what the charge is."

A report found by the family on an African news website stated that naval police had intercepted a boat arriving at Cape Verde's capital Praia from Senegal.

According to the article, police arrested illegal immigrants on board and an Irishman who was leading the operation.

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